Video game animator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a video game animator. Video game animators usually study animation, fine arts, or graphic design. 80% of video game animators hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 70 real video game animator resumes to see exactly what video game animator education sections show.

The most common colleges for video game animators are the Academy of Art University and the Academy of Art University.

There are also many online video game animator courses to help get the education required to be a video game animator.

What education do you need to become a video game animator?

What degree do you need to be a video game animator?

The most common degree for video game animators is bachelor's degree, with 80% of video game animators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 6%.

Bachelor's, 80%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 6%

What should I major in to become a video game animator?

You should major in animation to become a video game animator. 17% of video game animators major in animation. Other common majors for a video game animator include fine arts and graphic design.

Animation, 17%

Fine Arts, 13%

Graphic Design, 11%

Photography, 8%

Other Majors, 51%

Most common colleges for video game animators

Video game animators often get their degrees at Academy of Art University, Ohio University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for video game animators in the US based on their resumes.

Video game animator common college	Percentages
Academy of Art University	16.67%
Ohio University	10.00%
New York University	6.67%
The University of the Arts	6.67%
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center	6.67%

Show more common video game animator colleges

Best majors for video game animators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Animation	17.0%
2	Fine Arts	13.2%
3	Graphic Design	11.3%
4	Photography	7.5%
5	Digital Media	7.5%

Show more common video game animator majors

Best colleges for video game animators

The best colleges for video game animators are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

A video game animator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for video game animators. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become video game animators.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for video game animators

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1. Animating in Adobe Character Animator (2018 Edition)

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Learn how to design and animate a character in Photoshop that can stand up as professional work...

4. Learn Adobe Character Animator CC

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Motion Capture Animation Basics...

5. 2D Character Animation: Walk Cycles

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Design Characters for animation in Adobe Animate : animate a character step by step : animate a full scene...

6. Spine PRO: A Complete 2D Character Animation Guide

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Learn to create professional 2D character animations for Games!...

7. Fast animation and rigging techniques using Maya 2017

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Learn to rig a biped character and animate a walk cycle for film, TV and video games for beginner Maya users...

8. Designing Cartoon Characters in Adobe Animate

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(356)

Learn how to design cartoon characters using Animate's diverse vector tools...

9. Create hand drawn character animations using Photoshop

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Turn hand drawn sketches, characters, typography, and videos into looping animations...

10. Learn 2D Game Special Effect Animation in Photoshop

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The best Game special effects animation course on the market...

11. Learn Professional Pixel Art & Animation for Games

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Become an exquisite pixel artist and animator...

12. 3D Modeling & Animation with Maya

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Have fun creating anything you want in Maya. Create your own 3d worlds! Learn creature & character design/animation!...

13. Ultimate Blender 3D Character Creation & Animation Course

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Learn 3D character creation & animation in Blender 2.8 with this A-Z course great for beginners and all levels of skill...

14. Blender Character Creator for Video Games Design

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Model Video Game Characters. Use The Sculpt Tool To Shape, Add Texture, Rig & Animate Video Game Characters...

15. Character Design For Animation in Illustrator

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Design Memorable Character With a Strong Personality and Learn How to Prepare them for Animation...

16. 2D CHARACTER ANIMATION Course with VYOND

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Easy 2D Animation Course for everyone who wants to create Explainer Videos for Youtube, Instagram or Fiverr...

17. Complete Whiteboard Animation in VideoScribe - 5 Animations

4.3

(647)

Create Your Own Whiteboard Animations with Video Scribe - No Drawing, Video Editing or Animation Experience Needed!...

18. Learn to Animate: Classical 2D Animation for Beginners

4.5

(1,233)

A Complete Guide to Animation Principles in Adobe Animate...

19. Learn Making Text Animated Short Videos

4.1

(350)

Start Your Own Social Media Video Brand and become famous Like NAS Daily, AJ+...

20. Save Time in Character Animation for After Effects

4.8

(341)

Animation can be a fast process if you know the secret: Do Animation with rigged characters, with a few clicks and drags...

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for video game animators

The hardest universities for video game animators to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for video game animators are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for video game animators based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.